On the eve of Superman's release, star David Corenswet offered his thoughts on where the new DCU stands when compared to both Star Wars and the MCU. Corenswet brings DC Comics' iconic Man of Steel to life in the new film, helping ring in a new era for the Blue Brand on the big screen. The new super-powered blockbuster from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn kicks off the interconnected DCU—a new vision for the iconic superhero brand meant to compete with the interwoven cinematic tapestry crafted by Marvel Studios over the last 17 years.
While the MCU-to-DCU comparisons have been plentiful in the lead-up to Superman's release (and will likely continue as DC's new on-screen universe continues with the likes of Lanterns, Peacemaker, and Supergirl), David Corenswet seems to think another massive cinematic universe is a better comparison point for fans to make.
During a recent interview with Comicbook, the Superman star revealed he sees James Gunn's new comic book movie universe as more akin to Star Wars than the MCU.
"James has described this new DCU as feeling a little more like the Star Wars universe," Corenswet posited, adding that this is because, "it’s not our world...and it’s not an origin story:"
"James has described this new DCU as feeling a little more like the Star Wars universe in the sense that it’s not our world, it’s an alternate world, and it’s not an origin story. You’re just thrown into the middle of this universe, and you learn about it as you go."
He also joked that the pair of on-screen mega-franchises share another connection: John Williams, whose classic 1978 Superman score has been reinterpreted for Gunn's new take on the classic DC hero.
The Superman actor remarked that "A huge part of why Star Wars has stuck in my mind for so many years is the music," which was also composed by the Academy Award-winning Williams:
"A huge part of why Star Wars has stuck in my mind for so many years is the music and John Williams' other music has been a way that I've expanded out to other great films and [been] a reason that I love the other films that he scored. The most surreal thing about being in this film is now I am in a film that has John Williams theme underneath it. That's probably the biggest 'pinch me' moment for me in this whole thing, and it's a fun thing to nerd out about."
This is not the first time someone involved in the DCU has brought up the idea of the new on-screen universe being closer to Star Wars than the MCU.
Gunn himself previously mentioned during DC's Chapter 1 announcement Q&A event in February 2023 that he saw his DC franchise as "a universe that is like Star Wars where there are different times, different places, different things:"
"But we’re also creating a universe that is like Star Wars where there are different times, different places, different things, [and] like 'Game of Thrones,' where characters are a little bit more morally complex."
Superman marks the start of the DCU on the big screen after the animated Creature Commandos debuted on Max late last year. It will introduce audiences to Corenswet's Superman along with other big-name superheroes from across the DC mythos like Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and one particular Kryptonian relative of Supes' that will have fans buzzing.
The new film from Gunn is just the start of the DCU slate, though. In August, fans will be reintroduced to the world of Peacemaker, as Season 2 of the hit Max series comes to streaming, before the likes of Lanterns, Supergirl, Clayface, and The Brave and the Bold make waves for the franchise over the next couple of years.
Why the DCU Is a Different Kind of Cinematic Universe
While many people will see the MCU as the closest facsimile to what the DCU is trying to accomplish, the pair of super-powered cinematic universes are actually quite different.
As both James Gunn and David Corenswet have said, this world will not start at the beginning of its epic superhero narrative. Instead, it will be much more like Star Wars, dropping folks in at different times across the timeline, focusing on various characters, stories, and worlds that are not all necessarily connected despite being under the same DCU banner.
Of course, the franchise will likely lead to some central narrative crux (like the MCU has done with the likes of Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming Secret Wars), but Gunn's vision seems a little less regimented than what Marvel Studios is doing with the MCU.
The DC Studios Co-CEO told IMDb in the lead-up to Superman's release that he has the DCU's story "loosely mapped out" but is also willing to go with the flow, allowing the team to jump at great ideas as they spring up, even if they were not originally a part of the studio's original plan.
This is no better exemplified than with the upcoming Clayface movie from writer Mike Flanagan. The DCU Clayface project was pitched to Gunn late last year and immediately given the green light, heading for production later in 2025.
The Clayface movie was not something Gunn ever had planned in the DCU slate, but he heard the idea, knew it was at a state of readiness that they could pursue it, and then worked it into his franchise plans.
That's not to say something like Clayface could never happen within the MCU, but given the franchise's incredible narrative calculus from project to project, it is much more unlikely.
The DCU is much more like Star Wars, even in that sense. Since the end of the Skywalker Saga (and several failed projects getting off the ground), Lucasfilm has opened the door to working off pitches from directors rather than setting a slate and finding creatives to make it happen from there.
